


Last Assignment

by VenyWrites



Series: Last Assignment [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-03 10:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenyWrites/pseuds/VenyWrites
Summary: College Au: Reader is in art class. The professor assigned a nude model to each student and gave a last assignment of the semester that has a lot of weight on the final grade.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so, I'll be sharing this story here (I already have it on Tumblr) because I want a more solid foundation for it, and I feel that on Tumblr it might get lost to the other stuff that is happening. :)
> 
> Hope you like this, and if you do, remember to leave kudos and comments! They are always appreciated.

I rush down the hall towards the classroom. Class had started 5 minutes ago and last class the professor had warned that she would be giving out the last assignment of the semester, and it would have a lot of weight in the final grade. I reach the door slightly out of breath. Pulling the handle, the cool air hits the beads of sweat that formed on my forehead and neck. As quietly as my bag will allow, I walk towards my easel and set my things down besides my chair. The professor hadn’t gotten to the classroom yet, thankfully, so I take out my sketchbook out of my bag and begin doodling. A little while after the door opens and the professor makes her way through. The classroom quiets down and everybody turns to pay attention to her.    
   
“Okay guys, good afternoon. I know you’re all excited that the semester is almost over, but I’m going to need you to NOT slack off in this final assignment because, as I’ve said before, it will be 20% of the final grade of the class. Now, I’ve been lucky enough with this class to have only 15 students, so I was able to find everyone a model. They are my students from a couple of past semesters, and they gladly volunteered.” She spoke gesturing towards the door.    
   
The group that was waiting outside the door started pouring into the large and mostly empty classroom. They made their way to the back where they sat on the empty chairs, making themselves comfortable. When the noise died down, the professor continued.    
   
“As a final homework, I will assign you a model and you will turn in a nude painting and 50 sketches of your model using the techniques learned through the semester. Seeing as we discussed everything, you should have no problems applying said techniques properly. If you do have questions about the theme you want to work with, if you so choose to have one, you can send me an email and we will schedule an appointment on my office hours.”    
   
Maybe it won’t be so bad. She did discuss all the material we need. The only thing that might make this a little difficult is the gigantic elephant in the room called nudity. The professor starts calling out the names of my classmates and assigning a model to each one.    
   
“Ms. (Y/L/N), you will be assigned Mr. Barnes. Please raise your hand so he can make his way towards you.” I did as she asked and tried to nonchalantly look around to try and get a sight of the guy I was going to get stuck with for the next 3 weeks.     
   
The first thing I noticed was his height. He looked heavily built, yet his movements very gentle and quiet. He grabbed the chair he was sitting on and raised it with ease towards the spot where I was. He quietly put his chair down and sat on it.     
   
His shaggy dark hair was covering most of his face and his broad figure slouched down on the chair. When he caught me staring, he swiftly pushed his hair away from his face and looked back at me. His eyes were the shade of blue that plagues the sky after a sunset when the last lights are fading. All noise seemed to stop and my breath got caught in my throat.     
   
“Hi, I’m James Barnes” He extended his hand.    
   
“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), nice to meet you.” I reached out and his calloused hand enveloped mine in a warm, welcoming handshake.     
   
“So, it seems we’re going to be spending a lot of time together with this assignment. Do you want to get some coffee when we get out of here, to make this less awkward?”    
   
“Yeah, that seems like a good idea” The confidence with which he spoke intimidated me a little.     
   
The professor finished making up the pairs and moved on to explain a couple of other things. I found that I was having a very hard time concentrating on her words. He was sitting very close and the light gray t-shirt he was wearing was tight enough to show off his amazingly sculpted arms, without looking like it was cutting off circulation. I was definitely staring now and when he caught me, I looked away quickly as a blush crept towards my face, and my ears started feeling warm.     
   
“Okay, class that will be all for today. We won’t be needing to regroup for the next few classes as to give you more time to work on your assignment. Please remember to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. See you all in 3 weeks.”    
   
As she was talking I had managed to grab all my stuff. I was ready to get out of the classroom when his voice stopped me.    
   
“Okay, where do you wanna go? I know this little place just outside of campus that has the most amazing pies”    
   
“Uh, yeah, okay, let's go there. After you.”  
  
We made our way out of the classroom and towards the building’s main entrance. He walked a little slower than what his body would be used to, with his size, to try and stay at the slow pace that my short legs offered. We made our way side by side towards a little cafe just a block away from the entrance to the campus. I’d seen the place a couple of times, but I never actually had the time to stop and check it out.    
   
One cup of coffee turned into two, and a slice of pie later we were talking about our meeting schedules for the assignment. He was surprisingly easy to talk to, cockiness aside. He did have a little bit of ego, but it wasn’t anything I should be worried about for the moment. When I finally noticed the time, I started gathering my things. We exchange phone numbers and head on our different ways.  


	2. Chapter 2

I closed the door behind me and slid down. A smile crept to my face. This was probably a mistake, but I didn’t care. I only had three weeks to make the best of it. I made my way to the couch and threw myself at it. I laid there staring at the off TV screen, replaying the events of the day. I couldn’t stop thinking about his smile, and the way his whole body shook when he laughed. I looked for my phone in between the couch cushions, and called my best friend over promptly. About 20 minutes later there was a knock on my door.    
  
“(Y/N/N) Hey!! How’s it going? You sounded excited on the phone, what happened? Did your professor cancel the last project and decided to give you an A for all your amazing work?” She leaned against the door frame with her head bobbed to the side, flashing me a blinding smile.    
  
“SHUT UP AND GET IN HERE” I pulled her inside and closed the door with my foot. “Natasha, for my last project I have to make a nude painting.”    
  
“Well, if you needed me to strip, you could’ve just asked” She started pulling up her shirt, until I stopped her.    
  
“What? No!! She appointed everyone a model.” She looked almost disappointed until I gave her a knowing look.    
  
“What is it?” Her green eyes wide with curiosity, she quickly sat down.    
  
“Well- ” I looked away sheepishly grabbing my sketchpad from nearby and holding it to my chest. “-his name is James” Her eyes widened when she realized what she had heard.    
  
“Oh my God, what?!” In a flash, she took the sketchpad from my hands and skimmed through the pages. “Holy cow! He is HOT”    
  
“Yeah, and you still haven’t seen the shirtless ones yet” I added, almost blushing    
  
“You minx!” She kicked me lightly and I pretended to be hurt. “He was already here, and you didn’t have the balls to call me earlier? I could’ve watched. I could’ve given verbal encouragement!”    
  
“Yeah, Nat, that’s EXACLY why I didn’t call you earlier. Anyways, that’s not everything.”    
  
“Are you serious?! There’s more??”     
  
“Yeah. Well, the teacher said that she wouldn’t be regrouping the class for the last three weeks so that we can concentrate on our assignments. And he and I agreed that working in my house is better because that’s where I’m most comfortable- ”    
  
“I like where this is going”    
  
“-so we made an agreement, and he’s going to be staying with me. Here. For three weeks.” Nat started whooping like a madwoman, fiery hair flying in all directions. I swear the neighbors 3 floors away could hear her.    
  
              After I calmed her down, we went to bed. In the morning, she agreed to help me fix up my apartment to better accommodate James in the living room (as opposed to my room, which Nat suggested tirelessly). She insisted that I should still clean out and update my bedroom “just in case” she winked. I groaned loudly, but obliged. After we finished with the living room, I let her work her magic in my room. A few minutes later she grabbed my hand and dragged me from the couch to show me her masterpiece. The room looked pretty much the same, except that it was better organized. She even organized my underwear drawer so that my old lingerie was in a very accessible spot. She also showed me the box of condoms she conveniently hid in my nightstand drawer.    
  
“Okay, this is getting out of hand. What exactly do you think will be happening here? I swear, if I find handcuffs in a box in my closet…” She looked apologetically at me. I gotta make a mental note to check every inch of my room for inappropriate things. It’s like she carries these things with her everywhere in case of sex happening out of nowhere.    
  
“Sorry! You know I can’t help myself. One day you’ll thank me though.” I rolled my eyes at her. “C’mon, I’m starving. Let’s go get pizza.”    
  
She changed the subject quickly to try and keep me from snooping around my own bedroom any more. I didn’t fight it much, because I was hungry and I knew that later tonight I would pack up any other stuff she hid away and throw it in the deepest part of my closet. We walked a couple of blocks until we found our favorite pizza place. We had stumbled upon it while we were lost on out first semester in New York. Ever since then, we came around so often, the people that worked here already knew our names and our favorite booth was almost always available for us. After eating a couple of slices, Nat told me she had to go work on her finals so she went on her way, whilst winking dramatically and wishing me good luck. I rolled my eyes at her and flipped her off, laughing loudly.    
  
              Before going home, I stopped for some groceries. I grabbed juice, eggs, bread, and a few other things. I also grabbed more beer and a couple of bottles of my favorite cheap wine, Nat’s voice playing in my mind “…you know, just in case”. I pushed her voice out of my head, paid the cashier and headed home. Once there I put everything away, I showered, popped a movie on the DVD player, connected my phone to the charger, and threw myself on the couch. I didn’t realize when morning came, but I heard my phone buzzing. It was a message from James.     
  
>I’ll be coming over at 3. Keep a lookout for my call at about 2.    
  
>Okay, see you soon.    
  
I still had about 5 hours before he would call. I took the sketchpad with my drawings of him. I went over them one by one checking for details and cleaning the backgrounds. The professor didn’t like it when she could see graphite hand smudges on the outskirts of a sketch. I kept going at it until my hands cramped up. Then I put the pad down, and turned on the TV again. Why I started walking around aimlessly is beyond me. I had plenty of work to do, but clearly I couldn’t get any of it done without him here. I decided to put on a pair of jeans and a light blue tank top. I grabbed my keys and my bag that had my personal sketchbook and headed out. Going to the park to sketch was always relaxing for me, ever since I moved here.     
  
  I took a seat on one of the benches and started letting my mind drift. There was an older couple a few benches away from me. They were sitting down, enjoying the sunshine. I walked over to them and politely asked them if I could draw them.    
  
  When they agreed, I sat on the floor in front of them and held a nice conversation. They met in this park, a little while after she had made her way to America and her family got settled in here in the Big Apple when she was about 24. They told me their entire life story, and I listened intently. When I finished the portrait, I showed it to them and offered it, but they refused.    
  
  “Keep it. That way I know that someone will remember us by” She spoke in a soft voice as she held my hand. I held back my tears as I thought about what she had said. I thanked them both and walked around a little when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.    
  
“James?” I answered, surprised.    
  
“(Y/N), hi. It’s a little earlier than I had planned, but, are you home?” Hearing is voice say my name sent shivers down my spine.    
  
“Not really, why?” I heard him breath out.    
  
“Okay, can we meet up? I want to buy the groceries before we go to your house, that way I won’t die of starvation by the time you’re done with the painting.”    
  
“Ha-ha, very funny. I’ll be by the supermarket that’s a block away from my place.”    
  
              I basically speed-walked back just so that I could be there before him, but my efforts were futile. He was already there. He greeted me in an awkward side hug, and we made our way inside. He filled the cart with a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. I held him back from buying the things I had already gotten the previous day, then we made our way back to my place. Since he refused to let me help him with the bags, I convinced him to at least let me carry his gym bag, which I’m assuming held all the things he needed for his stay. When the elevator doors opened, I decided to start the tour.     
  
“Okay, I only have like 3 copies of my keys, the one I have, the one my best friend has, and this one” I said as I picked up the one of the decorative rocks that was in the potted plant I kept by my door. The rock had an empty, small pill bottle glued below it with a single key inside. “If we ever get locked out. This is always here for emergencies, because my friend isn’t always in the area.” Once inside, we put everything away.     
  
“Alright, let’s get started” He had already started taking his shirt off.    
  
“Oh, good God… Will you at least let me get my things out?” I tried to sound as annoyed as I possibly could holding back a small grin, but it was a little difficult considering I’ve been waiting for this all day. I looked for my things and sat on the chair once again.    
  
“Did you get enough without the shirt, or do you need more?”    
  
“Why? Do you already want to take your pants off? You’ve only been in my house for 10 minutes” He looked at me, unimpressed by my comment. I hesitated. “Yeah, I have enough. I have ten- ” And now he’s unbuttoning his pants. Man, he really doesn’t like to waste time.    
  
“Whoa, buddy” I tried to look away, I swear I did. It took every fiber of my being not to stare. I kept only looking at his face, which probably looked very awkward, but right now, I didn’t care.    
  
“See something you like? Oh, who am I kidding, of course you do.”    
  
I scoffed as loudly as I could “Oh, please. Just shut up” He chuckled and picked up a different book than before from the bookshelf, then he sat on the floor in front of the sofa. Like last time, he was doing a good job of holding poses and staying in proper angles that gave me perfect views to work on. We went on for hours, and I knew I had enough when my phone vibrated letting me know I got a text, and I almost jumped in surprise.     
  
>Hey, we still on for tonight? I’ve heard from a couple of people that the movie is amazing. –S    
  
Oh shit. I got so caught up with the assignment that I had completely forgotten about my plans.     
  
“Hey, is everything alright?” He asked looking confused, I must’ve said that out loud.    
  
“What? Oh, no, yeah, everything is fine.” I wove my hand in dismissal “I just have to cut this session short, I forgot I had plans for today.” I answered the text quickly, and kept on sketching.    
  
“What? How short are we talking here?”    
  
“I’m being picked up at 7:30. We can probably finish for tonight and I’ll give touch ups when I come back. You’ll be fine on your own, I have plenty of movies and books. Don’t go into my room though.”     
  
“You do realize that by telling me not to do something, I- ” He tried to say cockily.     
  
“I’m serious, don’t do it” I warned. He raised his hands in defeat and gave me a side nod. “Wait, do that again, and hold the pose for a minute”    
  
I kept on sketching until about 5:30pm, I still had 2 hours, but I knew I was going to take a while getting ready. I went to my room and picked simple sundress that I particularly liked. I grabbed clean underwear and went to the bathroom. I felt the warm water envelop me, and my muscles relax. It’s funny how tense one can get while sketching. After a couple of minutes I heard a knock on my door.    
  
“Hey (Y//N), what am I supposed to do while you’re not here.”    
  
“Can this wait until I’m out of the shower?” I half shout with soapy hair and slippery feet.    
  
“Fine, whatever.” His voice faded away.    
  
~    
  
I step out of the bathroom feeling pretty good about myself, when I  see James lying facedown on my sofa, fully clothed, and immersed in a book.    
  
“What are you reading so intensely?” I tiptoed closer  and leaned in to peek at the book.    
  
“I don’t actually know, but it’s pretty interesting,” he slowly lifted his face towards me.    
  
“Well, what is it called?” I placed my hands on my hips while still standing on my toes.    
  
“Whoa, girls night?” There was something in his eye that I couldn’t exactly place, and suddenly he was sitting up, leaning forward.    
  
“Um, not really, I’m going to the movies with one of my best friends,” I took half a step back and held my hands behind my back, “uh, well, is he gets here, let him in. I’ll be in my room getting ready.” I rushed to my room and closed the door behind me. I thought I heard him say something, but I ignored it.  

  
I started working on my hair, but being unsure about what I wanted to do with it, I held it back with a pony tail and went ahead to do my make up. I decided for minimalist and simple, seeing as we were just going to the movies. Classic winged liner and red lipstick. That was done fairly quickly, I made up my mind to do a half down, with soft curls. Before long I was done.  

  
Not a lot of time had gone by when I heard a knock on my front door. I gathered up my things as fast as I could, so that we could leave fast. Unfortunately, by the time I got out of my room, Steve was already in my living room, and James was in my chair. They were talking about something, I didn’t quite catch because they went silent as soon as I stepped in my living room.

  
“Hey Steve, I’m sorry. This is James, he’s going to be working with me in my last art project. James Barnes, this is Steve, my best frie-”   
“Boyfriend. Just to be clear, I am her boyfriend, not just her best friend. So, I’d keep my hands to myself if I we’re you.” Steve looked very clearly tense, and just a little bit awkward.

  
“Yes, sir.” James did a mock salute. The atmosphere suddenly became thick.

  
“Okay, whoa, testosterone. Let’s leave that out the front door.” I stood up and grabbed Steve by the forearm, “C'mon, let’s get going, we’re going to miss the movie. See you later James, text me if you need anything”


	3. Chapter 3

Steve’s grip on the wheel made his knuckles go white, and his jaw was locked. The shallowness of the street lights and other cars, made his face look stern. His eyebrows were low on his face, his lips were forming a tight line. His eyes squinted focusing on the road ahead.  

I reached over and put my hand on his arm. He faltered, but when he turned to look at me, he seemed to relax a little bit. His shoulders were low, and his jaw soften as a he gave me a tender smile.  

“Hey, Stevie, everything alright? Sorry I forgot to mentioned there was going to be a guy in my apartment. It sort happened. I-”  

“Don’t worry about it. You’re your own person, and you don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m just worried, I mean, you have a stranger living with you now. Even if it’s only for a little while, there’s still risks.” His baby blue eyes looked at me with such worry and protectiveness. I felt bad for forgetting about mentioning this new situation to him.  

I’ve had a crush on Steve since we met some long years ago, and we became close friends very fast after that. It never went anywhere with us, though, I don’t think it was meant to be for us. Sometimes, with our dates and how much we clearly love each other, I still hope we can make it.

“Um, why did you tell James you were my boyfriend?” I’d been curious since we stepped outside of my apartment, but he’d been so tense the whole way to the car that I didn’t think it would be a good idea to ask him.  

“Oh, that. Sorry, I felt that, maybe, if I said that he’d back off a bit and gave you space.” He seemed sheepish at his words. Like a little kid caught in trouble.  

-

We got out of the car at the movie theater, which was understandably empty, considering it was a weeknight. So, no loud, rowdy teenagers taking the good seats. We giggled as we walked to the concession stand, the smell of warm popcorn getting more evident with each step.

“Alright, what will you have?” Steve stared at the menu with the top half of this body leaning slightly towards me.

“Well, I wanted some nachos, but now that I smell the popcorn, I kind of want some too”, still leaning, his head turned to face me. His parted lips upturned into a smirk and his eyebrows raised in surprise, “I obviously don’t want both, though. What do you want? Maybe we can share”

“Ok, how about you go pick out our seats while I do this line? I’ll be right with you” He placed his hand on my lower back, and the smell of lavender and mint washed over me.  

“Are you sure, I mean, I can keep you company. The auditorium is probably still empty” then he gave me a look I could not argue with, “alright, I’ll see you in a bit.”

As the concession stand grew further from me, I realized how cold I actually was, and unfortunately I forgot my jacket in the car. Shaking off the cold, and squeezing my hands together to keep them warm, I picked us chairs near the middle of the room.

I look around, and see a couple to the opposite side of the entrance, and group of young girls, maybe from college too, seating near the front. I’m not sure when it happened, but I ended up scrolling through my phone when Steve arrived with a bag of popcorn, some cheese sauce, and a soda with two straws.  

“Oh, man, how did you know? This is perfect!” He chuckled while I helped him get on his seat.  

“I know you too well” He said with a deep smile on his face. Once we were comfortable, I leaned onto him and goosebumps suddenly appeared on my arm. The warmth of his arm contrasted my noticeably cold one. “Hey, you cold?”

“A bit, but don’t worry, I’m fine”  

“Psh, _‘don’t worry’_ , c'mere” he put the popcorn to the side and wrapped me in a big hug. After rubbing his hands on my arms to make them warm again, he lifted the seat divider and told me to stay close so that I wouldn’t get cold again.

He kept his arm around me, and the popcorn between us. After the movie ended, he wanted to grab a bite, so we drove to the nearest McDonalds, and ordered some nuggets, and mozzarella sticks. We sat in his car eating and talking for a while until we decided it was time to call it a night.

He parked his car near my building and decided to walk me to my door, ever the gentleman. “You know you don’t have to do this. You took me to self defense classes, I know how to protect myself.”

“I know, but it doesn’t feel right to have a pretty girl walk home all alone,” His hands were in his pockets and raised his shoulders, “also, I don’t trust the guys in this building. They look very sketchy.”

We reached my door, and I noticed Steve standing very close to me. I had my keys in the lock, but I turned around to face him. His scent of lavender was everywhere and his blue eyes pierced mine. He took a step forward and placed his right hand on the door frame. I raised my head and when I saw him leaning down to me, I battered my eyes closed. His left arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer.

Then, I felt my door open behind me, and a gust of wind made my skirt flutter. Cold rushed around my legs, and I shivered.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Steve looked annoyed. Any indication that he wanted to kiss me was gone. He had let go of me, and was lavishly upset with the sleepy figure leaning against my door with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Did you have fun? How was the movie”  

“James, just go back inside” I shoved him gently and pulled the door ajar. Turning back to Steve, who had a look in his eyes that I couldn’t place, “sorry about that. I’d almost forgotten he was here.”

“Yeah, me too.” He removed his hand from my door frame to check his phone, his soft gaze returned to me. “Well, I better go, text me if you need anything, or if that jerk gives you any trouble. At any time”

“Thanks Stevie.” We hugged and he gave me a peck on the cheek. When he pulled away, he was blushing and holding back a smile. Then I watched him disappear behind the elevator doors.


	4. Chapter 4

I close my door with a soft slam, not wanting to bother the neighbors. My apartment didn’t look much different from when I left, except that there were a couple of books on my coffee table, and the TV was on playing some movie in hushed tones.

“Were you so bored that you couldn’t wait for me to open the door on my own? Did you really have to interrupt?” I kicked my shoes off, and pulled my earrings from my ears as I made my way towards the bathroom.

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a twist. You probably got enough smooching during the movie anyways” Facing the bathroom door, I let my arms drop to my sides. Letting the shoes go, I closed my eyes and locked myself in the bathroom. 

I looked at my reflection for a minute, taking in what had just happened. I put my earrings on the side of the sink, grabbed my makeup wipes and started cleaning my face. The coolness of the wipes helping me gather my thoughts, and the circular motions against my face, temples and neck calming me down. Then I promptly removed the bobby pins that were digging into my skull and pulled my hair up into a messy bun.

I stepped out of the bathroom, onto the hard wood floors of my living room. With a deep sigh, I looked at James and said “I’m going to my room now, to get changed and get my supplies. I’ll be out in a couple of minutes to get on with the sketches.” I stated dryly. He looked confused, but offered no response. 

I grabbed my shoes from the floor and headed to my room.Since it was night time, I made the choice of working with my black paper sketchbook. I also pick the lightest shades of my colored pencils, white and pastel tones of yellow, pink, blue, purple and so on. I change into my sleeping shorts, and an old tank top. I made sure to put my shoes back in their place and to hang my dress in the closet again. I checked how many sketches I already had of him in his underwear so that I knew what I had to work on tonight. I walk out of my dark room into the dimly lit living room once again. 

“Alright, let’s get on with it. I only have 15 total sketches to go, then we can move on to the painting.” I announced with total apathy.

“(Y/n), are you ok?” His tone was gentle, but alarmed. I dismissed him and assured him that everything was fine. When I told him that I still needed at least 5 more in his underwear he proceeded with “Well, um, ok. I’m going to take my pants off now. That alright with you?“ 

I scoff and prop myself on my chair “Suddenly you ask if it’s ok? Yeah, it’s fine, just take your pants off and do your job.” Internalizing what I had just said, I apologized in a small voice. 

James stood up and took off his plaid pajama pants that were covering his boxer briefs. He chose to lie down on the sofa on his right side, facing the TV. His left leg crossed over his extended right one, and his left foot tucked behind his right knee. His right arm was holding his head up, with his fingers tangled in his hair, while his left was hugging one of the throw pillows to his chest. I chose the pastel blue, and white for highlights, and started working. 

I was going slowly. Taking my time. When I got out of my room I was in a hurry, but right now I couldn’t find how to move fast enough. I worked my mid-tones, tracing the lines of his thigh muscles and the edge of his boxer briefs. Moving slowly through his abdomen and the gently defined lines of his arms. “So, how did you guys meet?” I almost didn’t catch it, but the room was so quiet that it was hard to ignore. 

“It was a long time ago, sometime in middle school” I spoke in an equally quiet tone. 

“And you’ve been together all this time? That’s impressive.” He didn’t really sounded impressed. There was something sour-like in his voice that I didn’t want to pay attention to. 

“What? No! We’re not-” I took a deep sigh. This was probably a bad idea, “we’re not actually together. He’s no more my boyfriend than you are.” 

“Oh” His eyes drifted to the TV, furrowing his brow. I started working a little faster, wanting to get this over with quickly enough, but just when I thought he was going to drop the subject he interjected again. “Does he think he has some sort of ownership over you or something?” 

“No! Steve and I have known each other for a very long time. He’s just very protective of me sometimes. Like a little sister he feels responsible for. Why do you even care anyways?” His questions were starting to get on my nerves, and my lines were starting to look sloppy. Something that tends to happen when I feel rushed with anything. 

“Well, my mom -she used to do portraits at the park- used to tell me that the best way to capture a person’s likeness in a portrait of any kind, is to get to know them in some way. Not just looking at them, but talking to them, getting them to reveal something about them that could be captured.” 

“Okay, thanks for the advice, but what does that have to do with your questions. As far as I’m concerned, I’m the one that has to ‘capture your essence’, not the other way around.” I was annoyed now and holding the pencil too hard. The all too familiar cramp slid it’s way onto my hand, all the way up to my elbow. I put the sketchpad and pencils on the floor with a soft thud.  

At the sound, he turned to look at me. I started rotating my shoulder, to relieve some of the kinks, and cracking the knuckles on my hand. He sat up, still looking at me. My shoulders dropped, I was massaging my wrist now, looking at him too. 

He started saying something but stopped himself. Then he proceeded with “Look, I’m just trying to understand. I want to know if there are any possibilities.” He scooted closer to me on the sofa, until he was sitting on the very edge, face to face with me. Barely a feet apart. 

I almost didn’t ask, but I was more afraid to stay quiet. “Possibilities of what?” It came out barely a whisper. I inched my face closer. My breathing getting faster, and my heart beating out of my chest. 

I knew it before he said it, but hearing it coming from him sent chills down my spine. I felt his hand trace up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps wherever he touched. I lowered my gaze, and he reached with his other hand, bringing his face into mine. His warm breath against my lips. “Of you.” And with that, our lips finally met. 

His lips were softer than they looked. His kiss tasted like coffee. Intoxicating and addicting. My hands took a life of their own and rose to his chest. I felt myself pushing him back on his seat, deepening the kiss. I slid my hands to the back of his head,  pulling his face somehow closer to mine. I felt his hands grab a hold of my hips, sitting me down on his lap.  

He hugged me closer and traced his fingers on my back, making me shiver all over. I carded my fingers through the hairs on the back of his head, grabbing two handfuls, I pulled, earning a groan from him. He smiled against my lips, and lowered one of his hands until it was at my lower back. I felt him shift under me, and before I realized what was happening, he was grinding me onto him, making a small moan escape me. The agonizingly slow pace was making everything feel surreal, and suddenly, my whole body was on fire. 

He moved his lips from mine, and started whispering kisses up my jawline. I let my head fall back at the feeling of his teeth grazing my neck, moaning louder than before. I felt his hands on the back of my thighs gripping and kneading. 

I was breathless.  

Then the phone rang.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please remember to leave kudos and comments. Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

The sound of heavy breathing and a loud ringing plagued the atmosphere. We stayed there for a couple of seconds, calming our breathing.   
“What is that?” Breathed James. His warm hands still holding onto me with a firm grip.  

“I’m sorry, that’s my phone.” I placed my hands on his chest, and pushed myself off of him. I brought my phone closer to me and when I saw the caller ID, I knew how important that phone call actually was. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back"  

“Why do you have someone calling at -what even time is it?- 11:30 at night??” I strode towards my room, leaving James behind.  As soon as the door closes behind me, I put the phone to my ear. A trembling voice can be heard behind a soft sobbing “Hello?"  

"Nat, are you alright? Talk to me, honey” I try to keep my voice steady, the last thing she needs right now is instability from my end.  

“(Y/n) She found me. She knows where I am. (Y/n) I need to leave again, I need to disappear,” she was talking fast, unnerved.  

“Nat, I need you to calm down. Breathe. She can’t possibly know where you are. We have left no paper trail, and the Marshall has assured us multiple times that he’s keeping you safe,” I explained and kept my voice gentle and understanding.  

After a rough childhood, and home hopping as an orphan, she landed on the house of a woman she came to consider a mother. Unfortunately, she was brainwashing Nat, and she didn’t realize it until it was too late. She still gets nightmares, occasionally, and I’m always here to pick up the phone when she calls. Every time.  

“Nat, have you considered talking to Sam about this? You guys are getting pretty serious. I mean, he’s even considered moving in with you”    
“No. I can’t do that. I actually like him, I don’t want him to think I’m some sort of weirdo."  

"Dude, you’ve been together for almost a year now. He already knows you’re a weirdo, and he still really likes you” I heard her chuckle through the receiver “But seriously, he’ll understand. Just talk to him. Give him a call.” It took me a while, but I finally convinced her to call her boyfriend. She was unsure, but took my advice anyway.

I walk out of my room a couple of minutes later. The TV was still on, but James looked completely uninterested in what it was showing. He was slouching, back in his initial spot, with his legs crossed resting on my coffee table. His left arm, raised held behind his head, hiding his face from view. As quietly as I could, I inched closer. 

“Sorry about that, but can you please hold that pose?” 

“Oh, yeah, what was that about?” He stole glances, but otherwise stayed completely still. 

“Long story, I’m not particularly ready to talk about just yet. The mood was already ruined, no need to bring us down too.” 

“Okay then… Can you at least tell me that you’re not in trouble?” 

“I’m not in trouble” 

We kept working and with each sketch I finished, I started the next one getting closer to him. When I finished the last one I needed with him in his underwear, I was practically sitting on his lap again. 

“Are you comfortable?” He joked, looking down at me, then back into my eyes. I was sitting next to him, with my legs draped across his lap. 

“Not as much as I was earlier, but this is good enough for now” I don’t know where the courage to say that came from, but I wasn’t about to question it now. “Well, I’m done for tonight. See you in the morning.” 

I stood up and walked off to my room. This had been a long enough day already, and my head felt like it was about to explode. I placed my sketchbook and pencils back in their respective places, then I took a couple of painkillers. 

I crawled under the covers and struggled to fall asleep. 

I kept thinking about James’ hands, his lips, how he touched me, squeezed me, kissed me. I thought of his fingers tracing patterns on my back, his tongue drifting across my skin. His soft grunts, his hidden moans between breaths. 

Tossing and turning, I pushed the covers off of me. The heat emanating from my body was burning through me, and there was no appeasing the fire coursing through my veins.  

I kept pushing the thoughts of him from my mind, and once I did drift off, it wasn’t any better. That moment we had kept playing over and over. I could feel his skin on mine. His voice kept ringing in my ears. It was sweet torture and it didn’t leave me alone.

I woke up in cold sweat. I couldn’t take it anymore, I sat up and turned on my bedside lamp. I stayed there trying to calm my breathing and my speeding heart. I debated about going out there again but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. And yet, anything that could help me was through that door.

I kept changing my mind, back and forth. Walking towards my door, and coming back to bed. I finally made up my mind to go back. I needed to.As quietly as I can, I open my door, and peek out. James is lying on the couch, still watching TV. I close my door again. Taking deep breaths, I gain my composure. 

I took one last deep breath and held it in my chest. When I let it go, I opened the door with sureness. Half ignoring the figure on the couch, I make my way to the kitchen in strides.

The groggy man, raised his head and echoed towards me, “you’re still up?”

“Pay me no mind, I’m just getting some water. I’m having a hard time falling asleep” I exclaim as I work my way around the kitchen, while I try not to look at him.  
“Oh, yeah? Why is that?” From the corner of my eye, I saw him sit up, and leaned towards the kitchen.

“Nothing important apparently,” I said with a false smile. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head softly. _You seem to be doing alright._ The thought came by so quickly that I had no time to ignore it. He gave me  a soft chuckle.

“Okay, good night now” I rushed back to my room once again.

I drank half of my glass of water and furrowed under the covers once more, my back towards the door. After about 15 minutes of absolute silence, I heard my door open. Frozen with doubt, I pretended to be asleep. When I felt the bed dip behind me, I could sense a shiver going down my spine.  
“You know I heard you, right?” Barely above a whisper, I could feel his lips ghosting on my earlobe, “and I want to make myself perfectly clear, I’m not doing alright at all”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text in italics represents flashbacks. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please, enjoy!!

I shifted and stretched my arms away from me. The empty space beside me made the events of last night feel like a distant dream. I flutter my eyes open to the sunlight illuminating my room.

_I let go of a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The space behind me was suddenly occupied._

_“I’m gonna call your bluff and say you’re not actually asleep,” with his lips still on my ear, his arms slithered around my waist pulling me closer to him, “there’s no way you fell asleep so quickly if you’re as on edge as I am” He was right. If anything, I was running on pure adrenaline at this point, and I was nowhere near calming down. Specially not with him here._

_The moment I felt him against me, my body betrayed me, and my back was arched against him. My breathing was coming short while his hands moved towards my lower abdomen. One of his hands stayed in place, while the other sat between my thighs dangerously close to my core. His thumbs skirted slowly the edge of my underwear, making me squirm against him._

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Yawning, I stretched my back and my arms once more. I stayed there a couple of minutes gathering my thoughts when realization dawned on me. We’re only missing the nude sketches and the painting. and we still have about 2 weeks until our arrangement officially ends. Panic started settling into my stomach, not because we didn’t have enough time, but because we finished the sketches faster than I anticipated.

I move to the edge of my bed and sit over. My hands to my sides and my head hanging on my shoulders. Last night playing over and over in my mind since the moment I opened my eyes.

_“Well? No side comments now? You seem awfully quiet”_

_“James please-” I curse myself for being so weak. My voice came out almost a whimper._

_“Call me Bucky, doll. James sounds too formal, and that’s not what we’re going for” Hi breath trailed from my ear to my collarbone, leaving small kisses in it’s path. His hands didn’t move a centimeter, and the thumb he had by my thigh was drawing circles there, and it was peeking under my underwear._

_“Ja- Bucky, please” I tried again. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say because my mind was everywhere. I wanted him to go on but I didn’t really want to have sex yet. Only one word was fully formed enough for me to actually say it, “slow”_

_“Anything you want baby girl, you tell me how far you want to take this. Just tell me when to stop”_

The smell of coffee got me out of my thoughts, and rightly so. I got up and stood facing my bedroom door for far too long before I finally decided I needed to leave.

I inched the door open, took a deep breath, and stepped out. Bucky’s voice resonated through my small living room, “Good morning sweetheart, there’s coffee in the kitchen. What are we doing today?”

“You’re awfully chipper this morning” I rushed to the kitchen, barely able to look at him. I heard him shuffle and within seconds he was behind me. I was in the process of getting a mug filled with coffee. The hand holding the mug was still, pressing the mug onto the counter, but my other hand was hovering over the coffee pot, shaking slightly. My breath caught on my throat when I felt his fingers on my thighs spreading up, collecting the hem of my shirt at my hips, where they finally rested.

“Well, I had a wonderful night. How about you?”

 _The hand that was resting on my lower abdomen slowly moved, ghosting along my belly and chest under my shirt making my skin shiver and my breath hitch. He started kneading my right breast and kissing my collarbone._  
_The moment his fingertips touched my core through my panties was when I lost all the control I thought I had. My hips jolted at his touch as I reached for the needed pressure._  
 _“You okay there doll? Use your words sweetheart,” I heard him chuckle against my skin._  
 _“Shut up and touch me” He wasted no time. Before I had any time to react, his free hand started rubbing my clit, slowly at first but quickly building up speed. Every time I got to close to the edge, he would slow down again. Driving me wild with his sweet torture._  
 _My hands went up to pull his hair from behind me. Gasping and grinding on his hand, I couldn’t think, “fuck, Jesus Christ. Bucky, fuck, oh my god”_  
 _He let go of me, and I whimpered at the loss of contact. I was so close this time, I could almost feel myself reaching my climax._  
 _“Not yet” He stated with finality._

I felt my skin heating up, and I was sure I was blushing, “I- It was alright” I served myself coffee and drank it where I was.

“Going by the sounds you were making, it was better than alright” He pressed himself against me, he moved my hair out of the way and left a gentle kiss against my neck. My legs failed me and I shook.

My phone chirped, and when I went to check it, I’d received a message from Steve.

>Hey, what are you doing today? I was hoping we could have one of out sessions. It’s been a while since the last one.  
>Wait, that guy is still with you isn’t he? Maybe this can wait.

**> Stevie wait, maybe I can talk to him.**

I turn to Bucky and he’s on the couch again, with a blanket draped over his bottom half.

“Um Bucky, would it be okay with you if Steve came by for a sketching session. It’ll be maybe and hour or 2 tops.” I pitch him the idea of getting to know Steve better and that they’re more alike than either of them thinks. He thinks for a moment, but agrees in the end. I proceed to try to convince Steve too. It’s a little bit more difficult with him, but he eventually agrees too.

I hope this was a good idea, otherwise, these are going to be some awkward 2 weeks.


End file.
